This invention relates generally to lint screens used in clothes dryers, and more particularly to a method and apparatus for cleaning dryer lint screens.
Drying laundry using a commercially manufactured clothes dryer is a common household chore. Although the makes and models vary somewhat in design and features, virtually all clothes dryers have a lint screen. The present invention involves the lint screen.
Lint screens are designed to trap lintxe2x80x94fuzz consisting of fine ravelings and short fibers of fabricxe2x80x94as well as miscellaneous xe2x80x9cpocket debrisxe2x80x9d such as shredded tissue or paper. Trapping these materials serves two purposes. Removal of the lint from clothing results in an improved appearance of the clothing and reduces or eliminates an additional task of manually removing lint from the clothing with a lint brush subsequent to washing and drying the items. The screen also prevents the lint and debris from entering the exhaust duct of the dryer system and clogging the system, resulting in possible safety (fire) concerns or unnecessary dryer repair costs.
In order for a lint screen to operate optimally it must be cleaned frequently, preferably after every dryer load. The cleaning process historically involved pulling the screen out of a slot in the dryer, removing the lint from the screen with one""s fingers, disposing of the lint, and re-inserting the screen into the slot.
For a variety of reasons, the lint screen cleaning process outlined above frequently doesn""t happen. When in a hurry, many people skip the process altogether. Others find it difficult to remove the lint from the screen and delay cleaning the screen until the lint is thick enough to grasp and sweep off more easily with their fingers. This creates a problem, for if the lint is thick enough to easily remove, it is also thick enough to impair the screen""s effectiveness as a filter. Elderly people or those with arthritis may have an even more difficult time manually cleaning the lint screens. In addition, some people simply prefer not to touch dryer lint due to its texture, for example. It is conceivable that these individuals could use a hand-held brush of some sort to remove the lint, but this would require that a brush be easily accessible, and necessitate the use of both handsxe2x80x94one to hold the lint screen and one to manipulate the brush. Whether hindered by time constraints, the difficulty of removing lint from a screen or lint squeamishness, the outcome is the same: the lint does not get removed in a timely fashion. The result is increased safety concerns, decreased dryer efficiency, and unnecessary dryer maintenance costs.
Another problem relating to dryer lint screens is that some of the lint can become airborne in the process of removing it from the screen and disposing of it (most commonly in a nearby trash receptacle). This makes additional cleaning in the laundry room necessary and creates a health issue for those who are sensitive or allergic to dust.
Finally, dryer lint is lightweight and difficult to accurately place and retain in an appropriate container. Whether one xe2x80x9cmissesxe2x80x9d the trash container in the first place, or the lint in the container becomes airborne after being placed there, the result will be at best an unsightly mess; at worst, a fire hazard. This problem is particularly common at apartment building laundry rooms or laundromats where the large number of individuals who are using the appliances have no personal investment, and thus minimal concern, for the upkeep of the appliances and the facility.
The aforementioned problems associated with cleaning dryer lint screens are widespread, with potentially serious implications in residential and commercial settings. The present invention addresses the dryer lint disposal problems outlined above. It accomplishes the task of thoroughly cleaning the lint screen quickly and easily, and without the operator having to touch the lint. In a preferred embodiment it requires the use of only one hand, reduces airborne lint and ensures that it is properly and completely disposed of in a standard trash container.
Accordingly, one embodiment of the present invention includes a device for removing lint from a dryer lint screen, wherein the device includes a frame forming a slot suitable for accepting the lint screen; a lint stripper connected to the frame and arranged adjacent to the lint screen slot; and a container operatively connected to the frame for holding the lint that has been stripped from the lint screen, wherein when the lint screen is inserted into the lint screen slot and then withdrawn the lint is stripped off of the screen by the lint stripper and deposited into the container.
Another embodiment includes a device for removing lint from a dryer lint screen, wherein the device includes a frame forming a slot; and lint stripping media adjacent the slot, wherein the lint stripping media includes a pair of linear media elements on either side of the slot, wherein when the lint screen is inserted into the slot and then withdrawn the lint is stripped off of the lint screen by the linear media elements.
Still another embodiment includes a device for removing lint from a dryer lint screen, including (a) a container; and (b) a lint stripper assembly including a frame and lint stripping media connected to the frame, wherein the frame is operatively connected to the container and the lint is removed from the lint screen by inserting the lint screen into the lint stripper assembly and then withdrawing it, whereupon the lint is stripped off of the screen by the media and collected within the container.
In a preferred embodiment, the xe2x80x9ccontainerxe2x80x9d is a trash can and the xe2x80x9cframexe2x80x9d is a trash can lid.
And in a still further preferred embodiment, the xe2x80x9clint stripping mediaxe2x80x9d includes a plurality of bristles. The bristles can include two sets of bristles facing toward one another and angled downwardly and inwardly, with one set of bristles connected to the underside of the lid and positioned on one side of the slot, and the other set of bristles connected to the underside of the lid and positioned on the other side of the slot.
Further with regard to the preferred embodiment, there can also be a pair of bristle supports connected to the trash can lid and located on either side of the slot, wherein one of the bristle supports is adjacent to and positioned above one of the bristle sets and the other bristle support is adjacent to and positioned above the other bristle set, whereby when the lint screen is inserted the bristles readily flex downwardly and do not appreciably strip lint off of the screen, but when the lint screen is withdrawn the bristles contact the bristle supports and do not flex upwardly as readily thereby stripping the lint off of the screen.
Finally, the device can include a pair of adjoining flexible flaps connected to the top of the lid and located on either side of the slot, whereby the flaps seal the slot so as to prevent airborne lint from escaping the trash can once stripped off of the lint filter.
Additional aspects of the present invention will be described with reference to the appended Drawings.